Three of seven Catholic clergy who were kidnapped in Haiti earlier this month have been released, amidst a rise in violence and ongoing political crisis.
Father Loudger Mazile, spokesman for the Bishop’s Conference for the island nation, said the French were not released and that here were no lay people among those released.
A total of 10 people were abducted in Croix-des-Bouquets, a town northeast of the capital Port-au-Prince, in mid-April, including the seven clergy—five of them Haitian, as well as two French citizens, a priest and a nun.
The kidnapped victims were reportedly on their way to the installation of a new parish priest when they were abducted, with the kidnappers demanding a $1 million ransom for the group.
Authorities suspect an armed gang called “400 Mawozo”—which is active in kidnappings—is behind the abduction, according to a police source.
Kidnappings for ransom have surged in recent months in Port-au-Prince and other provinces, reflecting the growing influence of armed gangs in the Caribbean nation.
Haiti’s government resigned and a new prime minister was appointed in the wake of the clergy kidnappings, and President Jovenel Moise said it will help address insecurity and continue discussions on political and institutional stability.
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